


Moving Forward and Never Looking Back

by noveltyromance



Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-17
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 00:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1799455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noveltyromance/pseuds/noveltyromance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Don’t tell me you’re still upset,” he goaded her. It has been two years since it happened.</p><p>Fury showed into her usually soft features. He can’t help but think that she looked even lovelier with the different emotions that played into her features. He always did appreciate that she’s a genuine person, always wearing her heart on her sleeve.</p><p>“He ruined everything.”</p><p>“It was a mistake. We all make some,” he quietly reprimanded her. His tender eyes sought hers. An unmistakable sheen of tears showed and hurt etched into her face.</p><p>“There are mistakes that you should never afford to make. Not when the stakes were that big.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The reunion

**Author's Note:**

> So, really new here. Long time lurker and decided to share. It's supposed to be a oneshot but there were too many possibilities to explore so twoshot it is then. Please enjoy :D

 

 

 

“KAZZA!”

The leggy red-head turned to the lean sandy-haired man and jumped into his arms.

“Arthur! I missed your stupid face!”

The man smiled and ignored the offensive term of endearment. Although not to be outdone, he gently said, “And I you, moon face.”

She grinned at him and smacked his arm playfully. Truth be told, seeing him again was the highlight of her entire month. Even after the two of them living in the same country, it was still difficult for them to see each other. It had been a long time since she had seen him.

“How’s being a Yankee coming along?”

He gave a derisive snort and shrugged his shoulders. She arched an eyebrow.

“Becoming a full-blooded New Yorker now are we? You even capture the haughtiness down to the tee,” she teased with her rough Scottish brogue.

“Oh please! Like you’re not trying to blend in the crowd either! Don’t try to pass off that bad spray tan as sunburn,” he replied while pointing at her darkened skin.

She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. She looked around for more familiar faces. The room was full of unknown faces albeit friendly as they seem. The ballroom was adorned beautifully with flowers and light fixtures that sparkle elegantly. There were waiters that roam around with champagne glasses and ridiculously small appetizers. Although, in his opinion, they seemed too pretty to be eaten. It looks suspiciously like a wedding reception.

“So do you know why we’re here?” Arthur asked.

Karen procured her invitation. “Not really. I just know that it’s an important party from Alex, whom I have not seen yet.”

He hummed in agreement. “Do you have an idea?”

“I have an inkling,” she mused as she looked around. “But I don’t think it’s what it is.” She gestured to the rows of chairs set in front of a projector.

“Looks like a Mensa convention to me.”

She eyed him haughtily, “Like you’ve been to one.”

He rolled his eyes but he couldn’t hide his amusement. He loved their banter. She would always try to wind him up and he would try to do the same to him. He’s a man that enjoys a challenge and that to him is Karen. “Fine then. It’s like a really sophisticated prayer meet or Alex is trying extremely hard to sell a time share in Boca.”

She giggled and he smirked. A moment of silence passed. They become instantly aware of each other. The last time they saw each other, it was not exactly in good terms. The silence sobered them from the giddiness of seeing each other after a long time. She cleared her throat.

“I guess we’ll know in an hour.”

He hummed in agreement.

“I haven’t talked to her for a while.”

“Same here. I’ve been too busy with Broadway. Last time I talked to her, it was Christmas.”

She bit her cheek, suddenly looking preoccupied but she shrugged it away. “Sooner than me then.”

“Have you seen Matt yet?”

She sighed. “I doubt she’d even invite him to her party. You know, after the _thing_.”

He looked pensive. “It’s been years.”

“And he was a bloody arsehole when _that_ happened.”

“Oh come on. Granted it was his lowest point, but he did try to make it up,” he countered as he nervously ruffled his hair.

She sniffed. She seemed to acknowledge the fact. “That’s beside the point.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still upset,” he goaded her. It has been two years since _it_ happened.

Fury showed into her usually soft features. He can’t help but think that she looked even lovelier with the different emotions that played into her features. He always did appreciate that she’s a genuine person, always wearing her heart on her sleeve.

“He ruined everything.”

“It was a mistake. We all make some,” he quietly reprimanded her. His tender eyes sought hers. An unmistakable sheen of tears showed and hurt etched into her face.

“There are mistakes that you should never afford to make. Not when the stakes were that big.”

He sighed. He was going to argue some more when someone elbowed him on the back. He immediately turned to the offending person. His frown greeted an impish smile.

“Rory the Roman!” Jenna squealed. His frown twisted to a smirk and he enveloped the petite girl in his arms.

Karen immediately went through the motion of wiping her eyes of stray tears and beamed to the other woman. “Clara, my dear!”

Jenna coyly gave Karen a small hug. It had taken quite a long time for the two girls to warm up to each other. They blamed it on the tabloids and diehard fans always comparing the two companions that everything became a competition. In retrospect, it may as well be the animosity Karen felt when she thought she was replaced by another companion. Of course, Jenna had faults too. She was tired of trying to fill Amy Pond’s role that everyone seemed to miss. It was only after they did a small BBC guesting together that they cleared the air. They turned into good friends overnight.

“Amy Pond!” Jenna gushed excitedly.  Karen giggled and they exchanged pleasantries.

Arthur wandered off to get refreshments when he saw Matt’s pretty sister in the crowd. He has only met her once but he could recognize that chin anywhere. She carried it really well but he can’t say much for her brother. She turned to his direction and waved at him with a demure grin.

He mirrored her. Laura walked over to him and picked up a flute of champagne from the table. She handed one over to him and he gladly accepted.

“’Tis been far too long!” she greeted him.

“I know,” he replied earnestly. He genuinely liked Laura. Whenever he hung out with Matt during holidays before, she would always treat him like family. And that’s why the nagging guilt that he felt tugged him stronger right now.

“Is he…here?” he couldn’t help but whisper that into her ear.

Laura gave an uneasy look. “Frankly, I don’t know.”

“Is everything ok?” concern from his friend was evident in his voice. Even though he hated Matt’s guts two years before, he still considered him his brother. He even regretted not being there for him in his hour of need. But then again, his help was needed somewhere else.

“Umm…yeah,” she gave a noncommittal shrug. “He’s doing better after _that_. I mean…after the depression.”

Guilt ran over him like a current. “I wasn’t there for him.”

She nodded slowly. “No, you were not.”

“I tried to reach out…”

“I know.”

“Is he-”

“He’s alright. Trust me,” she gave him a sympathetic look.

“Right,” he murmured weakly.

“He understood that Alex needed you more. Hell, I didn’t even talk to him for a week after _that_.”

He gulped the champagne in his hand in one go. Laura chuckled inwardly. The man before her had a nervous aura. It was fun to rile him up.

“It…sucked,” she continued on. “He didn’t really had much support after the break up. But he knew it was completely his fault. He messed up so bad, Arthur. He hurt her so much that I don’t think she’ll ever make it back,” She cast her eyes downward and her voice thick.

His hands clenched and his knuckles turned almost white. Memories of Alex sobbing uncontrollably filled his mind. He remembered her falling in his arms and breaking apart in millions of pieces that it cut him hard. He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself.

“But it damaged him too,” she explained. This time her eyes sought his, imploring him to understand and hopefully forgive. “I’ve never seen him so…broken. He drank every day. He would not eat. He tried everything in his power to just explain but she was always so guarded. He almost-,” her breathing turned shallow. Tears flowed freely and she made no motion to wipe it away.

He looked distressed. He fumbled for his handkerchief but she shook her head and took a tissue paper from her purse. She dabbed her tears away.

He eyed the surrounding people, making sure that no one can overhear the conversation.

“I know it was more difficult for her. She sacrificed more and Matt… I love him but he’s a git,” she said in finality, more collected now.

“That he is,” he said in agreement, not caring if he sounded a little more affectionate upon saying that. “So do you have any idea why we’re here?”

She gave him a knowing smile, an expression familiar to him as it used to bring him utmost frustration. “Don’t do that.”

Laura, bless her, tried to fake her innocence. “Do what?”

He scrunched his face in disgust. “Channel the Moffat.”

She laughed. “Can’t channel someone who’s already here.”

“The Scotsman is here, eh? Didn’t see him at all,” he said whilst searching for the aforementioned man.

“He’s around, doing whatever his genius requires.”

“Huh?”

“Spoilers,” she said with a cheeky grin.

“OI!”

“Laura?” Karen yelled out loud.

The other woman gathered the boisterous girl in to her arms for a quick hug. Jenna followed suit.

“Not to be a wet blanket but…” Jenna said before stopping. She seemed to try forming words to ask her question.

“But?”

Karen supplied tactlessly, “How come Alex invited you after the break up?”

The scandalized Jenna and Arthur gave her a glare. She at least looked sheepish. “No offense but I just had to ask. And don’t think that I don’t like that you’re here. I love that you’re here in this-whatever this is,” she babbled on.

Laura simply smiled and nodded in understanding. “I reached out to her a couple of months ago. We solved our differences, in a way. I’m glad that she still welcomed me into her life. I was really relieved when she called me months back and asked me to organize this with N-a friend.”

The three piqued upon hearing Laura’s last sentence.

“So what is this for exactly?” Jenna inquired. Lauren pursed her lips and made a locking motion.

Arthur scoffed, “Don’t bother. I tried. Besides she’s just the lackey. You’re barking the wrong tree.”

“Then who?” Karen demanded.

“The Moff.”

The two groaned in misery.

 

===============================================================

 

She walked to the veranda and took in the smell of sea. The bright light from the sun reflected on the deep blue sea, creating the distracting sparkles dancing on the azure. It’s perfect.

She wrapped her shawl over her bare shoulder. The gust of wind sent shivers through her body but the warmth of the sun kissed her glowing skin. She tilted her head back and basked in the sunlight. If today was not a special day, she would forego all the annoying bustling about and just stretch out on the sand and nap like a cat.

She sighed and arched her back a little more, stretching her edgy limbs. Good lord, it’s her third one and she’s still terrified as hell.

She moved to fix her sandals, jutting her butt in the air and moving her leg from the long slit of her white dress. She heard a guttered moan from behind her and she smirked. It had been a week since they were intimate with each other. Something about not having sexual relations so that the next time they partake in the act, it would be explosive. She was reluctant about it but he was insistent. She had been frustrated, to say the least. If her rabbit is alive, it would cry for mercy due to overuse. So, in her honest opinion, that gives here enough excuse to harass him a little bit.

She slowly moved her hands to her other leg, her bottom slightly making a sensual wiggling motion. Knowing that he would be ogling her behind, she sashayed back to an upright position. And for the coup de grace, she released her unruly hair from the hair clip and moved her head sideways. Her locks followed her heads movement and more, springing wildly then locking into place.

In less than a second, two hands assaulted her sides and a mouth trailing kisses on the nape of her neck. His harsh breathing gave her some satisfaction. She leaned against him, pressing her rump against his crotch. He hissed and groaned in her ear. She chuckled.

That’s more like it.

“You are going to kill me,” he murmured with a dangerously low voice.

“Isn’t that the idea, Doctor?” she hummed in approval when one of his errant hands traveled south and squeezed her bottom.

He moved his mouth closed to her ear and whispered to her, “Is that what we’re doing tonight then?”

She moaned in delight. She loved it when he whispers in her ear. She felt a wave of heat wash over her and pooled into her center. Damn that cheeky bastard. She refused to lose this game. She placed her hands over his head without moving against him. She tugged his hair languidly, soft but powerful tugs that pushed him closer to the edge. “That’s only a part of what’s happening tonight.”

She felt him harden and she couldn’t help but moan too.

“Is that a promise, River?”

“Yes Doctor,” she breathed out.

“I can’t wait,” he said sincerely. He hugged her tighter and kissed her temple. She felt nothing but love and contentment.

“Why wait?” she asked, suddenly feeling deprived of him. She wanted him to know she loves him. She wanted to show him how much.

“Because your sister will kill me if she sees me here,” he huffed. She can almost see his pouty face. She bit back her laugh.

“We’ll risk her wrath.”

He made a weird sound, questionably like a squeak. Ever since their break up, Nicola set him straight and, if her suspicion is correct, threatened him with more than bodily harm. He is now somewhat afraid of Nicola. She made a mental note of exploring that thought later.

“It’s not just her love.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to do it properly. I want to show you that this one is going to be special. That this one is going to last. That we will last. So I refuse to bugger it up.”

She felt tears prick her eyes. She has never felt this revered and loved by any man. He placed her high on a pedestal and held her so sacred that it makes her cry sometimes. She has never been this happy before.

“You won’t, my love.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he simply stated. Before she can argue, he spoke up again, “But I will spend the rest of our lives trying to be deserving of you. That’s my promise.”

“You don’t need to try so hard,” she reassured him. “I’ll always be yours.”

“Always,” he sighed contentedly.

“And forever…”

 

===============================================================

 

Laura excused herself from the three when her phone rang. Karen, a natural born sleuth, heard her controlled voice speaking in harsh whispers. She might be imagining it but she almost made out the name Nicola. But then, that’s Alex’ sister. Gears in her head turned and turned.

Jenna pushed them to a more secluded area of the ball room. “What the hell is going on?” she asked.

Arthur fingered the stubble on his chin while contemplating. “Something big.”

“It bothers me if there’s a secret that I don’t know,” Karen complained. The two rolled their eyes. That was quite possibly the understatement of the year. Karen, in all her blessed glory, is and always will be a nosy busybody. They all sort of accepted that.

“And where is Matt?” Jenna exclaimed.

Karen widened her eyes. “He’s going to be here?!”

“I think. Sort of…he sort of alluded to that effect.”

“Jenna, explain please,” Arthur pleaded to her.

“I talked to him about a year back. He mentioned something about finally moving on...or forward,” she retracted immediately upon seeing the two’s thunderous expressions. “He said he wanted to share a secret with me but I never really got back with him. Then a couple of months ago, he called me and thanked me for being a great friend or something during _that_ time. We texted irregularly. I also kept up with Alex. Then I got his invitation in the mail a month ago.”

“Well at least someone moved on,” Karen spitefully said.

“Karen,” Arthur bellowed in warning. The girl grimaced but still stuck to her statement.

“Why do you defend him so much? He ruined it all. Team TARDIS. Alex, Me and you!”

Jenna regressed to her corner and just observed. True that she had been part of the team but during the break up, she was merely a bystander. She helped placate both sides as much as she could but she wasn’t privy on some things that went on two years ago. Obviously, something else happened that involved these two.

“Stop. It was in the past. He more than paid for it already.”

“But he never apologized.”

“Yes, he did. A million times over!” Jenna found herself speaking out for Matt.

“To Alex,” Karen spat out.

Arthur frowned. “So is that what you wanted? An apology to you? To the team?”

Silence and a steely gaze was her answer.

“Kazza,” Jenna gently interjected, “He lost Alex. He lost his mates and made a huge scandal. He might have deserved all that but he also deserved to be forgiven.”

“No.”

“I want things to go back to the way they were, Kazza. Don’t you want that too?” Arthur asked with resignation.

“He’s so stupid. You’re all stupid,” she uttered before turning around and stomping off outside.

Jenna started to walk towards her but was stopped by Arthur. She gave him an understanding nod. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” he murmured then ran after Karen.

 

===============================================================

 

Alex felt perfect in his arms. It’s as if he was made for her, just two gangly arms pressing her closer to him. He nuzzled his head on her shoulder and breathed her in. She smelled of wild flowers and honey. How she could smell intoxicatingly sweet, he could not fathom. He knew he would be addicted to her scent the very first time he met her.

Thinking back, he knew he was in trouble of falling dangerously fast when she first smiled at him. She was sinful and sexy. She exuded confidence like no other woman can. She was flirty and classy and just way, way above him. Initially, that bothered him too. He immediately assessed if she was going to go stoop at his level and put her in the running without regard to other factors. Other men, sensible men, would have thought it through. There was the age gap, the fact that she has a wonderful teenage kid and the fact that she might not even be remotely interested in the likes of him. But he always had difficulties with sensibility.

So he followed her like a pup to his master. She did not seem to mind. He was fairly certain that it brought her some secret pleasure of being wooed. He was always on his toes, tail wagging enthusiastically while she teased him. He matched her flirty groove and hoped to the heavens above that she found him charming at very least. She would mercilessly goad him with her mischievous inappropriate touching, not that he did not enjoy that part but he wanted to play the role of the perfect gentleman. They spent a lot of time together horsing around and acting like teenagers.

She was also a source of frustration to him. Whenever he gets closer to her, she would balk and divert his attention with her wiles. He did not even notice that she was doing that from the get go. But persistence (and sheer dumb luck in his opinion) won. She started shedding all her layers and he was struck how strong and beautiful she really is. She experienced hardship all her life but she was resilient and proud. He admired her. Soon his infatuation with this exasperatingly beguiling woman turned to something more potent. He falls harder and faster and it scared the hell out of him. His past relationships were not of this caliber. He always thrived in less serious affairs; reason being is that he wanted to explore all the possibilities that life can give to him. He knew when he met her that she was a glaring impossibility but he wanted to see where it could go. So he went after her. Then he started wanting more. He wanted her all.  It started out as a scheme to maybe get into her pants that turned into a plan to earn her heart.  He was not proud of his beginnings but priorities shifted and he set his mind on one goal, and that is Alex.

And he did it. Bless her, she bit the lure and he was happy to reel her in. His crowning moment of glory was when she kissed her without the dazzle of the bright lights and a tired director yelling action. She tasted heavenly decadent. He was instantaneously addicted to her kisses and sensual caresses. They had become inseparable.

She was heavenly in bed. And she was nothing but perfect. Sex was explosive with raw need and unquenchable lust. After their first night together, he actually prayed to the deities and thanked whoever he should have thanked. He made her come with just a whisper and him with just a sinful smirk. He could not deny that it was a kink of his, an older and more experienced woman teaching him ways bodies contort in bed. He almost cried in bliss when he learned that she had once mastered almost all the positions in Kama Sutra. She was so open, wild and wanton and he matched her needs with fervor. He used to think that he was great in sex but being with her made him push himself into being a better lover. They were always sated and satisfied with each other.

Arthur and Karen used to make fun of them, exclaiming that they’ve become too sickening to be with. They had, in an act of vengeance, intentionally snogged heavily to make it awkward for the other two. He would laugh at their faces while his Alex would smile demurely as if she was an unwilling participant. Whenever they went out, she would try and placate him as he very nearly yell at the men who shamelessly ogle or leer at her. She also had a possessive streak in her, much to his glee. It was the glory days of TEAM TARDIS. Those were the days that he cherished.

He took it upon himself to familiarize himself with her daughter, whom adored him as much as he had her. Soon, his family met her and they loved her. For a while, he thought that they gave her more affection than of him. It used to be that his mother would pester him every week with a phone call but after properly meeting his girlfriend, he was lucky to have a text message. His sister threatened to disown him if he messed it up. He denied pouting at the idea, only relief that they have received her well. The world, originally shocked, accepted their relationship wholeheartedly. And for a good portion of time, they were locked in a sweet moment of bliss. They fed off each other’s happiness.

However, owing to his streak with sensibility, happiness went fleeting. It lasted a year until the cracks finally showed. The blissful haze that they have showered themselves in faded slowly. Uncertainties and insecurities erupted almost overnight. It took them by surprise.

The more time she spent with him, the more the realization of how undeserving he is of her solidifies in his head. He felt inadequate and drowned in self-doubt while trying to keep up appearances for her. It ate him up. While he was tackling his own problems, she was hounded by devils of her own. She believed that he needed more that she could have offered. It was in her pretty head that he needed a chance to have a baby and a future that was not tied down to an aging woman.

He was waiting for her to realize that she was leagues away from him and she was waiting for him to lose interest in her. They were slowly slipping apart. It was unnoticeable at first. Stress with work coupled by different time zones and the difficulties of being apart certainly did not help. She would find a way to force him into going out with Arthur and Karen, excusing herself from their presence with a convincing lie. He never resisted too. He wanted time away from her to recollect himself.  After a period of subtly pushing each other away, they have grown too far apart to be able to mend anything. Granted that the affection was still there, it seemed like it was not enough to anchor them through. It was then that he struck.

He made the biggest mistake of his life.

He fucked up.


	2. The interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And I was there, Darvill. I was there when she almost killed herself. We were there to pick up the pieces. Don’t you dare deny that it nearly killed you too. You say that you don’t love her and then gave way for him but he butchered her up. I had to nurse two broken hearts,” she voiced full of emotion. “Don’t you dare deny it!”
> 
> “Look, what do want me to say?” he asked befuddled and exhausted. “I’m sorry it was hard. I’m sorry it was horrible for you and for her. I wish I could go back and smack some sense into Matt before he messed everything up. But I can’t. We can only move on from here, Kazz.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I lied. I thought that I could fit everything in a two shot but that plan fell through. Please, please let me know what you think. Criticisms help me write better. As always, please enjoy :3

 

 

 

Salome pursed her lips and her face, a mask of perfected mock innocence. She continued brush her curly hair while feigning ignorance. But on the precipice of her lips strayed a shadow of a smirk.

Nicola rolled her eyes. Salome was like every bit of her mother and she shuddered at the thought. A youthful Alex had been a handful. Salome was a carbon copy of her mother and Nicola suspects she’d be just as bad as or worse than her mother.

“So you haven’t seen him at all?”

An impish twinkle in her eyes said that she had. “Nope.”

Nicola narrowed her eyes. The teen fidgeted in scrutiny but refused to give up a comrade.

“He’s not supposed to see her,” Nicola grumbled.

Salome just hummed. Her aunt does not know what to make of it, an agreement or otherwise. She sighed in exasperation. It starts in half an hour and she has a million of other things to take care of.

“Alright, I’ll let him off right now but if I don’t see him within the next fifteen minutes, he’s dead.”

Salome beamed at her and saluted her aunt.

Nicola bit back a smile and stalked off to the beachfront.

  
===============================================================

 

“How did you get past my bulldog of a sister?” she asked him.

“I mastered of the art of espionage,” he murmured into her ear. She let out a small whimper at his husky tone. She lightly pinched his arm enveloping her to show that she meant business. He laughed.

“Come on,” she whined.

“I had help,” he said with an air of nonchalance. However hard he tried to hide it, she heard amusement laced in his voice.

“It’s not fair that you have my daughter wrapped around your finger.”

“I am in the top running as the favorite parent,” he teased her on.

She elbowed him in response. He did try so hard with her. He showered Salome with affection as though she was his own. He was her daughter’s best friend more than anything else. Alex grew more and more in love with him as he tried to win her daughter over.

“Says you,” she grumbled a bit.

“Well, right now, she is fending off Nicola as we speak so I think I win,” he boasted. She sniggered at the thought.

“It’s a good thing she loves you or else, you’d be in big trouble right now.”

“How’d I get so lucky Kingston?” he mused out loud. She simply brought his fingers to her lips.

“You earned it.”

He stiffened at a memory. “I still don’t deserve all this. And you, my love.”

She closed her eyes and silence passed. She sighed against his touch and murmured whispers of love. His hold on her tightened. He waited forever to hold her this way. There is no way he would bloody mess it up like before.

“Alex,” he paused, unsure on how to proceed.

“Hmm?”

“I never said thank you.”

“For what, darling?”

“For taking me back after all I did to you,” his voice was thick with emotion. Tears sprung from his eyes and he was filled with gratitude to her magnanimous heart. He was glad that her back was turned against him although he had suspicions that she can feel him crying.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. There used to be a time when she would burst into sobs at the mention of his name or anything related to him. There was a time when she thought she would die from the pain of a heartache. Funny how it’s but a memory that she can just shake her head at.

What matter is now, him and her at this very moment.

“It’s all in the past, Matt.”

He almost sobbed. She is so understanding and loving, how could he have hurt her before? He knew he was a stupid man, a good man albeit stupid. But it always escaped him how incredibly idiotic he could really be sometimes. He vowed at that moment that he would kill himself first before hurting her at any way ever again.

“I just…I love you so much,” he declared.

She hummed in approval and burrowed deeper into his arms as if it were possible still.

“Ditto.” The teasing lilt in her voice pulled him from his self-deprecation. It is, after all, a joyous occasion.

He chuckled. “We have minutes left.”

“There’s still time to back out,” she continued to tease but he could hear the apprehension laced around her joke.

“And risk getting murdered by your sister? I don’t think so,” he wrinkled his face at the image of her boisterous sister running after him with a deadly weapon.

She laughed. “She’s not that bad and you know it. She’s just stressed out from planning all this. You should really butter up to her more.”

“But she scares me,” he whispers into her ear. She sniggered at his blatant honesty.

“She likes you. She’s just a little wary.”

“I would be too, if I were her. After what I did…”

She shushed him immediately. “I took you back because I want to. It’s you and me in this relationship. What matters is us. I trust you and love you, even though you have the mind of a kindergartener _most_ of the time. I don’t want the past to define us. We learned and we moved on. So no more of that sad monologues. Bless.”

He bristled a bit at the insulting endearment. He nodded in agreement. He gingerly linked his hand with hers and marveled how perfect they fit each other. He couldn’t wait to start forever with this maddeningly precious woman. His Kingston.

 

===============================================================

 

“…and you’ll have to drag him away from her to get started. Yes, I understand. Oh, if you must but no bruises or we’ll have to get make up.”

Jenna whirled around sharply and followed the familiar voice. Once she found the owner of the voice, she waited patiently to greet the great Scotsman.

“In fifteen, we start. I need to look for Sue. Yes, I’ll ring you when we start,” Steven finished the call once he saw Jenna. He gave her a warm hug. “Jenna! Glad you could make it.”

She grinned at him but held her inquisitive gaze. “Imagine my surprise when even at a place like this, you’re still behind the scenes.”

He laughed heartily. “I almost said no but Alex is a difficult person to deny.”

“So, what do have here today?”

“Ah, Jenna…always the going for the kill eh?”

She rolled her eyes and merely lifted her eyebrow.

“Stick around, kid and you’ll find out,” Steven clapped a hand lightly on Jenna’s cheek before walking away.

 

===============================================================

 

“Will you please calm down?” Arthur said hurriedly and grabbed Karen in an attempt to pacify her.

She hung limp in his arm and breathed deeply. He fought the urge to press her closer to him. His wayward hand hovered over the curve of her tiny waist. She looked up to him with her tear-streaked eyes.

“It’s not fair,” she protested weakly.

“Not fair to whom?”

She cast her sight downwards but still hung on to him.

“Kazza…” he trailed off, unsure on how to proceed. He let go of her and stepped away. She seemed to be grateful of the distance.

“He broke us up, his family! He ruined it all. And after all you have sacrificed for them, he still went and buggered everything up! That bloody bastard!” she said viciously.

“Sacrifice?”

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “Smith wasn’t the only one wagging his tongue at the very sight of Alex. At first I thought it because of the novelty of it, you know. It’s freaking Alex Kingston! Even I had a slight crush on her. And then you started competing with Matt with everything! You actually looked butthurt that she reciprocated his and not your feelings. You are not as opaque as you want to be, Darvill.”

She sniffed and pushed away the errant tears from her rounded cheeks. He was shocked and a little offended that she said it out loud; or that she even said it as it was. He, at least, blushed.

“And I was there, Darvill. I was there when she almost killed herself. We were there to pick up the pieces. Don’t you dare deny that it nearly killed you too. You say that you don’t love her and then gave way for him but he butchered her up. I had to nurse two broken hearts,” she voiced full of emotion. “Don’t you dare deny it!”

“Look, what do want me to say?” he asked befuddled and exhausted. “I’m sorry it was hard. I’m sorry it was horrible for you and for her. I wish I could go back and smack some sense into Matt before he messed everything up. But I can’t. We can only move on from here, Kazz.”

And then he felt her anger. It was almost visible.

“Tell me honestly, have you moved on?”

“I-” he tried to counter but words escaped him. He did move on. He had forsaken a few things in order to fully forget. Karen was one of them. He still regrets leaving the things the way they were. He was exhausted, nursing someone’s bleeding heard and caring for his own too. So he ran. It wasn’t one of his finest moments.

But after it all, those times that he was alone, there was someone else that occupied his mind. He missed someone else. The warmth and the loudness, the ball of sunshine that bulldozes her way into people’s lives. He missed Karen.

And he realized too late that he missed his opportunity with her.

She shuddered, emotions engulfing her. She let out a hollow laugh. “It’s fucking pathetic, don’t you think?”

He tried not to appear offended because it is true.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know how hard it was for me? I had to look after you and Alex, but no one looked after me. You were not the only one pining for someone. And do you know what I hated the most? I hated myself because no matter what I do, she’s…she’s fucking Alex! I can’t even hate her!”

He was shocked. Is she saying what he thinks she’s saying?

Tears were flowing freely straight from her angry eyes. Her breathing is hitched and her cheeks were colored with rage. She has never looked more enthralling.

“I thought you would finally get her. She was your dream, after all. I thought I was going to be okay with it. I accepted that you and I…it still hurt. It hurt so much that I disliked Alex too. And I couldn’t, not her. And I could never despise you. And I had to blame someone. I chose him. I know it was unfair but if he didn’t sleep with that bimbo, we would not be here trying to mend relationships.”

“You like me?” Arthur croaked out.

“Did you not listen to my rant?” she asked sarcastically.

“I never knew that you…”

“Well I never told you. Besides, it’s not as if you were going to do anything about it,” she sniffed.

He stared at her for a moment. “What if I were to do something?”

She eyed him warily. “Like what?”

“Like this,” Arthur whispered before taking her mouth with his. It was a chaste and gentle kiss full of promise.

It seemed to shock her but she never resisted. He even felt her relax in his arms. He pulled away and waited for her reaction, hoping for the best.

She bit her lip immediately. “I don’t need your pity.”

“Good, because it’s not what I’m giving you.”

“And what’s that?”

“That time away from Alex and you, it was like withdrawal. My mind was in this haze, like I was getting high on her. But when I drew away, everything started to get clearer. It became more and more apparent that she was not the one I was missing the most. It was you.”

She tried to control the sobs that were trying to escape. “Why now? Why didn’t you do anything about it? About us?”

“I was afraid you’d say no,” he sadly replied.

“Coward,” she accused him. He nodded in agreement. “Were you ever going to confess?”

“I had planned so many instances in my head. I planned on sending you this really long email but I figured it was too impersonal. I thought about popping in to your new set and surprising you but I figured you’d just kick me out. I had so many ideas.”

“But were they all just ideas?” she asked softly.

“No. I was thinking,” he paused as he blushed, “that maybe I’d see you tonight and ask you out properly. I had a reservation placed, fancy dinner you know?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he said as he continued to blush.

“I feel silly now.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I was planning on getting you drunk tonight so I can confess to you,” came her brazen reply.

Incredulity clouded his features. “You were going to pull a Smithers on me?”

“I’m not going to rape you! I was going to confess,” she argued.

“And how is that appropriate?”

“Then what would you rather have me do?”

“I don’t know! But definitely not that!”

“Oh, like a boring dinner?”

“At least, I was approaching it with maturity,” he said indignantly.

“And since when were you ever mature?” she haughtily asked.

“In New York, I-”

She cut him off immediately. “Please, you fake pretentious Yankee, do shut up.”

And just like that she was back. His insufferable ball of sunshine is back. He mimed a zipping motion across his mouth.

“Now, are you going to snog me properly or would I have to ply you with tequila before we start?” she asked him naughtily.

He grinned before hauling her in his arms and kissing her fervently, with utmost passion that he could muster. She matched him, hunger with desire. Once they pulled up for air, laughter was exchanged. He began to pull her back to the hall, not once letting her hand away from his, as if she would ever do so.

Later, he would show her exactly how much he missed her but right after the fancy dinner, of course.

 

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Salome smiled as she spied the lovebirds. They were perfect for each other. She never thought that grand romantic stories happened in real life. When she was younger, she had thought that love stories were very unlike the cutesy Disney stories that they market. She had her parents to blame for the touch of cynicism. There were very little instances in her childhood that showed passionate romance. She remembers nothing but love from them as parents but not as a married couple. She made peace with that. Her father is a difficult man and she could also say the same for her mother. She never had the conceptions of tying them together again. They were much less complicated apart than together. She also noted that, recently, they were slowly regaining friendship with each other. Her father was a surprising ally to her mother during the last two difficult years. Her mother also tried to reach out to her stepmother whom she never had good relations from the start. They were easing towards a more civil and harmonious lives.

Matt helped resolve problems. Well, granted he did create some of them in the first place. But his presence helped her mother be more grounded and satisfied. She used to be harried, running from places to places for work and never stopping. In her teenage mind, she was convinced that her mother was just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. A woman lost and trying to find a way back home, and after a long arduous journey, she found home in Matt.

She mentally rolled her eyes. She was beginning to be just as sappy as the lovebirds in front of her. But she couldn’t help it. It was hard not to get suckered into the giddiness that they exude. It had been difficult, and that was an understatement. When she had first met him, she adored him. He was a lovable goofball that indulged her youthful whims. In between filming and flirting with her mother, he found time to show that he cares about her. He would always say yes to her every request, even though her mom would sometimes disapprove like the day when they decided to go make the largest sundae in the world and eat it. Of course, they did it behind her mother’s back but it backfired when they had a tummy ache for a week and Alex had to care for them at the same time. Truth be told, she fancied him in her preteen years. A slight crush for an older man but the novelty wore off. She found that she would rather have him as something that resembles a paternal figure and moved on to One Direction and Justin Bieber.

He was her confidant and best friend, very much unlike her own father. With him, she can say what’s on her mind and he would listen and give assertive suggestions instead of reprimand or reproach. She loves her father to bits and pieces but Matt is more of a buddy than an authoritative figure in her life. That’s why he had to earn her trust so much harder after he messed up with her mother.

The aftermath of the horrible break up was emotionally draining for everyone involved. Matt kept calling and sending parcels of flowers and letters but it all went to the dumpster. He tried to visit her to talk but her mother had went on a sobbing frenzy at the sight of him. In less than a day, the flat that they had rented together were devoid of her mom’s personal items. Salome remembered thinking that it was better that they were both done with Dr. Who. It would have been a bigger mess if they had to act with each other.

Matt tried his hardest at first. He did commit the greatest mistake a man in a relationship can make. He slept with someone in his drunken stupor, from one of his usual party nights. In his defense, the other woman later (after a year) admitted that she took advantage of his inebriated state. But damage was done and it could never be undone. In a blink of an eye, her mother flew away from him. The home in London abandoned and lacking of life, as if the memories that they shared never happened. It did not help that the _whore_ , as Salome often referred her, was only twenty-one years old. Salome overheard her mother confessing to Karen that it’s what hurt her the most. Her insecurity and his infidelity ultimately drove the final nail on the coffin. Once the news was out, the vicious reporters were like vultures harassing the pair.

Her mother’s failed May-December relationship is apparently the juiciest scandal at the time. She also became the laughing stock of the nation. It wasn’t helping that the damning woman that Matt made the mistake of sleeping with kept giving off interviews and making lewd remarks towards her mother. Salome retaliated by anonymously creating an internet campaign that discredits her. She had a lot of support from the Who community that loved River Song.

Her inconsolable mother was withering pathetically away but still manage to keep up appearances for her. Arthur and Karen were there for them but there were only so much comfort that they can give and it was not what Alex needed. Karen had been the first one to fall off. Her work requirements needed her on the other side of the country. She tried her hardest to keep communicating but eventually, it was too much for her seeing Arthur dote on her mother.

Salome noticed the longing glances Karen directs in his way, only he was too busy to detect anything. She likened Karen to Arthur’s character, Rory, always giving and waiting dutifully to be seen. But unlike the TV character, she had a breaking point. The way Arthur bared his very heart to Alex while she was nursing a bruised heart from Matt was too much for her to handle. Karen would send Alex and Salome emails and text messages. She was still the loud and rowdy Scot they all came to love but gone was that warmth that she usually radiates. Salome knew her mother blamed herself for this too.

Arthur took a while before he gave up. At first, he was her mother’s rock. He catered to her every needs. When the tabloids wrote lecherous and cruel words about her failed relationship with Matt, he refused to let her see it by buying all the newspapers within an immediate radius. He even issued statements, requesting the vicious reporters to give her some space. He was with her, not expecting a rebound and respecting her wishes to be left to grieve for a love lost. If her mother knew that Arthur had feelings for her, she did not let on due to Karen. However, over time, he accepted that it can never be and moved on with his budding career in New York. He was like Karen, always communicating irregularly by emails or phone calls. Salome hoped that Arthur and Karen would find each other soon. They deserve a happy ending too.

She continued to keep a lookout for the couple, still wading in her own musings. It wasn’t until Nicola walked past her that she gave out the warning call that Matt supplied her beforehand.

Unfortunately, Matt was too slow to react and Nicola was able to grab his ear and pull him away.

“Ow!” Matt exclaimed as he flailed about. Alex was about to turn to them but Nicola immediately thundered out, “Oh, don’t you dare, Alexandra!”

“Alright, alright,” Alex said, laughter on the verge of spilling. She can just imagine the sight.

“I didn’t look, I swear!”

“Sure and I’m chopped liver. I specifically told you to stay put in your suite! I have put too much time and effort for this wedding and you will not ruin this for me!”

Matt made a strangled sound as Nicola tugged harder and pulled him away. He passed by an apologetic Salome.

“Warning call?!” Matt asked in exasperation.

“I tried, Matty I really did!” she replied sheepishly.

“I forgive y-Ow!” he yelled out down the hall.

Salome turned to her mother. She was in awe of how beautiful she is, clad in her white dress and flushed in a pretty shade of red. She had a bright smile that could melt ice. She looked happy.

“You look gorgeous, mom,” she whispered. Alex wiped the tears gathering from her eyes. She swept her teenage daughter in her arms and murmured words of love.

Salome pulled away, seeming embarrassed with the coddling. She dragged her mother back to the vanity table and helped her re-apply the makeup that was ruined by the wayward tears.


End file.
